INW Muslims Get Little Backlash

A few days after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, a mostly non-Muslim crowd showed up at the Spokane Islamic Center in north Spokane for afternoon prayers. “We had people come in – Christian, Jews, Native Americans – to show support,” said Mamdouh El-Aarag, a board member of the center, which has since moved to the Spokane Valley. “It was very touching,” said El-Aarag, who is Palestinian-American. “There are people out there who realize a very small minority does not talk for the majority of Muslims.” Ten years later, hardly a day goes by without a report from the Council on American-Islamic Relations of some offense by word or deed against Muslims in the United States. Most recently, it was reported that New York police spied on mosques at the direction of the CIA. But El-Aarag said he has seen few incidents of overt prejudice against the Muslim community in Spokane. “We have been very fortunate,” he said/ Kevin Graman , SR. More here. (SR photo: Christopher Anderson)

Question: Is this an indication that the Inland Northwest isn’t as intolerant as some people may think?